Report – Ford to spend USD 5 billion on Lincoln revival

Nithyanandh K, As a toddler, those wheeled machinery fascinated me even before I knew what they’re called as! So here I'm, petrolhead by birth, Mechanical engineer by qualification and automotive reporter by profession!

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A significant portion of the money will be spent on a new modular platform.

Spearheaded by the new CEO Mark Fields, Ford has decided to give the ailing Lincoln brand a much needed shot in the arm.

The new Lincoln MKX which is due for next year was previewed by the MKX concept (image) at Auto China 2014.

According to a Reuters report, Ford could be investing around USD 5 billion (around INR 30,000 crores) in the next five years to transform Lincoln and make it a true competitor to Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. The investment is a part of the company’s long term strategy which will take years to attain fruition.

A significant portion of the investment would go into developing a new modular platform which is internally called as D6. The architecture is reported to be available in front-, rear- and all-wheel drive configurations, underpinning a wide array of future products.

The first D6-based product, possibly the next gen Lincoln MKZ, is expected to roll out in 2019 followed by a 7-seater which would replace the MKT. Eventually, every new Lincoln product will be based on the D6 platform.

The MKC is slated to be replaced in 2018. [Image: Current gen Lincoln MKC]In the mid-term, Ford is aiming to triple Lincoln sales to 300,000 units by 2020. The automaker plans to achieve this by overhauling the MKX crossover (previewed by MKX Concept) next year, MKS sedan in 2016 and replacing the Navigator SUV with a new model in 2017. The MKC replacement is expected in 2018.